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No. 624,674 Patented May 9, I899.

n. .B'. PAINTON.

SCREW PBOPELLER.

(Application filed May 7, 1897.)

(No Model.) Sheets$hant l.

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QNo Model.)

Pafented May 9, I899. n. B. PAINTON.-

SCREW PROPELLER.

(Application filed May 7, 1897.)

3 Sheets-8heet 2.

No. 624,674. Patented May 9, I899. R. B. PAINTON.

SCREW PROPELLER.

(Appfication filed may 7, 1897.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

mwwwww NITED STATES RICHARD B. PAINTON, OF WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY

PATENT QFFICE.

DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF PART TO WILLIAM H. BAIN- BRIDGE, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, AND D. CLARENCE WILLOUGHBY.

SCREW-PROPELLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 624,674, datedMay 9-, 1899.

Application filed May 7, 1897. Serial No. 635,578- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, RICHARD B. PAINTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Williamsport, in the county of Lycoming and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Ship Propulsion, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ship propulsion; and the main and primary object thereof is to to provide an improved arrangement of propellers especially useful in connection with naval ships-such as cruisers, battleships, and torpedo-boatsand also with fast passenger and freight vessels.

In carrying out the present invention it is the purpose to substitute electricityas a motive power in place of steam and entirely dis pense with the use of long propeller-shafts by substituting short shafts of a minimum length and operating these shafts in connection with separate electric motors; but the essential object of the invention is to provide in connection with thepropeller-shafts a novel arrangement of propellers which shall dispose of the 2 5 backwater and surge, while at the same time completely balancing and buoying the ship,

so as to facilitate the speedy passage thereof through the water.

With these and other objects in view, which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination, I

and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a ship embodying the improvements contemplated by this invention. Fig. 2 is a bottom diagrammatic view of the ship on a line of section including the propeller-shafts. Fig 3 is an enlarged bottom plan at the front end of the ship, showing the arrangement of the forward pair of propeller-shafts. Fig. 4 is a rear end view of the ship, showing the stern or rear pair of propeller-shafts and the propellers carried thereby. Fig. 5 is a detail in perspective of one of the prope1ler-shafts and the pair of screw-propellers carried thereby. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the construction illustrated in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is hull.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

the hull l of the ship is illustrated as being constructed on lines to provide forthe housing of oppositely-located front and rear pairs of propellers. The essential improvement made in the shape of the hull 1 is to taper the latter at the prow and sternand to make the same full at the water-line and at the prow and stern below the water-line to sharply curve or arch the bottom portion inwardly, as at 2, toward the keel to produce at opposite sides of the hull at the prow and stern thereof the submerged propeller-alcoves 3, which form protective housings for the short longitudinally-disposed propellershafts 4, a pair of which shafts is arranged, respectively, at the front and rear ends of the hull. By

reason of the formation of the propeller-al coves 3 under the body of the hull at the front-and rear ends thereof and a material distance inward from the sides of the hull at the water-line thereof it will be obvious that the propellers always lie submerged in the water, so as to have a free movement in the water, while at the same time being located entirely out of the Way in docking and protected from obstructions and disabling shots in cases where the improvements are adapted to be used in connection with naval ships or vessels.

The propeller-shafts 4 are disposed in a direction longitudinally of the hull and are preferably braced by means of exterior bracebearings 5, fitted to the exterior of the hull and receiving the shafts 4: directly adjacent to the point Where they enter the hull, and said shafts are only of a sufficient length to enter the hull and be directly coupled at their inner ends by means of any suitable coupling designed for the purpose to one extremity of the armature-shaft of an electric motor 6, it being understood that there is one electric motor for each of the four propeller-shafts.

By reason of coupling the inner end of each I propeller-shaft with the rotary shaft of an electric motor the propeller-shafts practically form extensions of the motor-shafts and receive their power directly from the motor without the interposition of gears, cranks, or other intermediate connections, thereby entirely obviating lost motion,while at the same time the movements of the ship cannot affect the free and unimpeded rotation of the shafts by their motors.

The electric motors 6 are of course specially constructed according to the power required and so as to be adapted for the particular space where they are arranged within the hull of the ship at the front and rear thereof, and at this point it will be observed that the arrangement of the propeller-shafts and the manner of connecting the same with said motors entirely dispenses with the long ponderous propeller-shafting now commonly employed in ships, while at the same time the location of the short propeller shafts and their motors at opposite ends of thehull serves to provide for an even balla'sting of the ship, thereby economizing in space which can be utilized for extra storage purposes instead of' for the usual purpose of storing ballast.

The several electric motors have circuitwire connections with a generator or dynamo arranged in a convenient location within the body of the hull, and while a separate dynamo or generator is preferably employed for each pair of motors for the propellershafts all of said motors have separate wire connections with a special switchboard 7,

which switchboard may be of any approved construction, whereby each motor may be independently controlled, and by use of this switchboard it will be obvious that the starting, stopping, and reversing of any one propeller-shaft may be controlled independently of all the other propeller-shafts, thereby rendering it possible to control the entire propelling mechanism of the ship from one point. Furthermore, the invention contemplates carrying out the electrical feature of working the ship from one point by locating motors wherever necessary for loading and unloading pu rposes and also by using a steering-motor 8, having a suitable controlling connection 9 with the rudder 10 and having wire connections with one of the generators or dynamos and also with the switchboard 7, so it will be seen that the switchboard affords simple and efficient means for controlling the movement and workings of the entire ship.

Each of the short propeller-shafts 4 is increased in size toward its connection with the shaft of the electric motor for turning the same and is provided at an exterior point in termediate its ends with a squared key portion 11, and also has its extreme outer end portion squared, as at 12, to forma separate key portion, the squared portions 11 and 12 of each propeller-shaft respectively receiving thereon the duplicate screw-propellers l3, ar-

- ranged one in advance of the other. The ex- Each of the screw-propellers 13 essentially comprises a central hub portion 14, having a squared opening or bore 15 therein to register with the squared key portion of the shaft on which it fits and a series of three blades 16, projecting radially from the hub. The three blades 16 of each propeller are twisted at such an angle as to easily enter the water and at the same time present a broad face thereto, it being observed that the outer rounded tip portionsof the propeller-blades are broadened, so as to secure a firm purchase on the water, while at the same time being angled sufficiently, so as not to interfere with the screw action of the propeller to provide for either pushing or pulling the ship in a forward direction. In connection with the pair of duplicate propellers 13, that are spaced apart one in' advance of the other on each propeller-' shaft, is employed a removable spacing-sleeve 17, which fits on the propeller-shaft4 between the two propellers and rests at its opposite ends, respectively, against the hubs of said separate propellers, so as to maintain the latter firmly fixed in their proper relative positions, while at the same time permitting of the ready removal of the propellers whenever it should be desired to repair or replace the same, it being understood that the removing of the nut 15 provides means whereby both propellers and the interposed sleeve 17 may be slipped from the propeller-shaft.

A very important feature to be noted in connection with the pair of propellers arranged one in advance of the other on each propeller-shaft is that the blades of these propellers alternate, so that each blade of one propeller lies in a plane passing through the space between a pair of blades of the other propeller, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings. This arrangement provides means whereby the blades of the rear-most propeller of each pair catches and works against the water that is thrown back from the forward propeller of each pair, and in this manner the retarding influence of the surging water from the foremost propeller is counteracted and the full power of both propellers completely utilized, so that the ship will be givena maximum rate of speed. It is to be further observed at this point that it is also important to construct the propellers with three blades, so that the blades can be tating to provide forpropelling the ship for ward or backward. By reason of this relative rotation of the shafts the blades of the propellers at one side of the hull are disposed at an opposite or reverse angle to the blades of the propellers at the opposite side of the .hull, and with all of the propeller-shafts rotating in a direction outward from the hull the blades of the propellers will have a pushing action against the water, so as to propel the ship forward at a rapid rate of speed, and

ing the same twist as the propellers illustrated in Fig. 5, are directly inverted, so as to be disposed in positions exactly the reverse of the positions of the blades in the ordinary propellers, and this alternative construction of propellers with inverted twisted blades providesa construction of propeller especially useful on the two propeller-shafts at the prow end of the ship to provide for not only increasing the speed of the vessel, but also for .buoying up the front end thereof. When the ordinary form of propellers illustrated in Fig, 5 are removed from the front propeller-shafts and replaced by the inverted type of propellers illustrated in Fig. 7, the said forward shafts are rotated in opposite directions, so as to turn the inverted propellers inward toward the hull. By reason of the inverted disposition of the blades l6 the rotation of said blades inward toward the hull causes the blades to press downward on the water, thereby pressing the water downward and outward from the hull. This action entirely relieves the hull from the surge and disposes of the water in such a way as to greatly reduce the resistance offered to the passage of the ship through the water. Furthermore, this action of the inverted propellers tends to buoy up the ship at its prow and exerts a pushing force against the water that greatly accelerates the speed of the ship.

Changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this'invention.

' Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l The combination with the hull of a vessel, of front and rear pairs of short propellershafts extending through'the hull at opposite sides of the prow and stern ends thereof, a pairof duplicate screw-propellers of the same size fitted on the exterior portion of each propeller-shaft and arranged a distance apart one in advance of the other, with their blades alternately disposed instaggered relation, the rearmost propeller of each pair working against the surge-water thrown back from the propeller in advance thereof and serving to press such water outwardly from the hull, means to space said-propellers apart and fastening means to hold the propellers on the shaft in their spaced relation, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of apropeller-shaft provided with separate squared portions spaced a distance apart, 'a pair of duplicate propel-- lers having squared openings in their hubs to respectively fit the separate squared portions of the shaft, means to space the propellers apart and a single fastening for detachably securing both propellers onthe shaft, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a propeller-shaft provided at an exterior point intermediate its ends with a squared key portion and at its Y extreme outer end with a separate squared key portion, duplicate screw-propellers arranged one in advance of the other and having squared openings in their hubs to respectively fit the separate squared key portions of the shaft, a removable spacing sleeve loosely fitted on the shaftand interposed between the hubs of the spaced propellers, and a fastening engaging with the outer tip end of the shaft to lock the outermost propeller in place, substantially as set forth.

f. The combination with the hull of a vessel,of a pair of short propeller-shafts extended through the hull at opposite sides thereof, a pair of duplicate screw-propellers fitted on the outer end portion of each propeller-shaft with their blades alternately arranged with respect to each other in staggered relation, each of said pair of propellers having their blades twisted in inverted positions, whereby the same may be turned in a direction inward toward the hull to. provide for propelling the same in a forward direction, means to space the propellers apart, and fastening means to hold the propellers on the shaft in their spaced relation, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

- RICHARD B. PAINTON.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. SIGGERS, FRANCES PEYTON SMITH. 

